This invention concerns arena-type games, and the equipment therefor.
Two of the most popular arena games are basketball and hockey. Both of these games can be awkward for casual players to play: in hockey, the safety equipment is very expensive while in basketball the skill needed to score points is very exclusive, and so latent even in those who have it that the skill can only be brought out by a good deal of practice, and the skill is readily lost unless the practice is kept up. Also in basketball, lack of physical height cuts many people off from even trying the game.
When played at high level, of course, both games are exciting and very popular with players and spectators. But neither game, for the different reasons as stated, is suitable to be played occasionally by casual amateurs.
The invnetion is aimed at making it possible for both of the two games to be played and retain their essential exciting character, but with a minimum of special exclusive skill, and with a minimum of expensive equipment. It is recognized in the invention that if the method or rules of play of both the games are modified to a certain extent, then both the games can be played using basically the same very simple apparatus.
In hockey, it is the fast-moving, hard puck that creates the need for the expensive safety equipment. However, the puck has to travel fast if it is to be possible to beat the goalkeeper and score goals. In the invention, it is recognized that by eliminating the goalkeeper in hockey the game can be played with a puck or ball having a much softer and less dangerous consistency than a normal hockey puck; and by providing small targets to aim at rather than a large goal area the requirement for shooting skill is maintained, but the fact that the puck or ball can be softer means that no protective clothing and equipment need be worn by the players.
In basketball, the skill in scoring lies in the ability to overcome the difficulty of throwing the ball through a hoop that is out of reach over the player's head. The provision of small targets for the players to aim at can again be used to provide the necessary scoring difficulty, without the need for the players to be tall, and by demanding only an ordinary throwing skill rather than the special skill required in normal basketball.
Futhermore, it is an aim of the invention to make the two games accessible to children and other beginners, and to allow them to be played in places not dedicated as hockey or basketball arenas, such as school gymnasiums, auditoriums, playgrounds, and church halls.
The invention lies in the provision of a goal assembly at each end of a playing area, each goal comprising at least one target in the form of a delineated hole through which the ball can pass, and further comprising a pocket disposed behind the hole for receiving and containing the ball. The invention includes modifications to the rules of hockey and basketball to the effect that goals are scored by the ball passing through the holes and into the pockets.
As to the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,181 (Samaras, June 3, 1975) shows a hockey target having holes with puck-receiving pockets. U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,223 (Bromwell, Mar. 16, 1976) shows holes without pockets. However, neither patent contains the suggestion that a modification to the rules of both hockey and basketball would make it possible for both games to be played using the same simple apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,260,154 (Balbastro, Apr. 7, 1981) describes a game which might be described as "foot-basketball" but the patent again contains no suggestion of the modification to the rules of both hockey and basketball that is called for in the invention. It is also known in the art to provide targets and pockets, but these have mainly been aimed at developing and improving throwing and shooting skills, and for distinguishing hits and misses, in various games. U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,555 (Lerman, Apr. 10, 1979) for example shows such a device for use in basketball.
The invention has the benefit of making it possible for both the games to be available to and played by all, and almost anyone can make a contribution to the play after a short familiarization period, but nevertheless as in all the best games there is an infinite capacity for skill, and for skill improvement, within that basic simplicity.